GENEVA, Sept 9, CMC – The Secretary General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group, Dr. Patrick Gomes Monday called for increased efforts to deal with the impact of climate change noting that the “painful reality” is that its adverse impacts are more severe in the poorest and most vulnerable countries.

Brussels, 09 September 2019: In a wide-ranging interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC), ACP Secretary General, Dr. Patrick I. Gomes opined that the recent visit of Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta, to the Caribbean could help boost the region’s participation at the December 9-10 ACP Summit to be held in Nairobi, Kenya.

Brussels, 04 September 2019: Dr Pendo Maro, team leader of the Intra-ACP GCCA+ Programme – an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group funded by the European Development Fund (EDF) – recently chaired a panel discussion on the progress and successes of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the Caribbean region during the Regional Dialogue on NDCs for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Regional Dialogue was held on 19 to 20 August during the Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week 2019 (LACCW), from 19 to 23 August in Salvador de Bahía, Brazil.

Brussels, 03 September 2019/ACP: The next Brussels Development Briefing n. 57 on “Investing in smallholder agriculture for food security and nutrition” organised by CTA, the European Commission/EuropeAid and the ACP Secretariat will be held on Wednesday 11th September 2019, 9h00-13h00 at the ACP Secretariat, Avenue Georges Henri 451, 1200 Brussels, Room C. The Briefing will discuss smallholder agriculture and its key role in delivering food security/nutrition, and sustainable food systems, as recognised in SDG 2.

At the conclusion of the 50^th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Pacific leaders issued a Forum Communiqué and the ‘Kainaki II Declaration for Urgent Climate Change Now’ – the strongest collective statement the Forum has issued on climate change. The PIF took place from 13-16 August 2019 in Funafuti, Tuvalu, with the theme of “Securing our future in the Pacific”.

Equatorial Guinea and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States took a significant step forward to establish the ACP Information Centre for South-South and Triangular Cooperation when they signed the Headquarters Agreement on 9 August 2019 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The Signing Ceremony followed the symbolic launch of the Centre last year in Malabo on 5 October. The Centre will be the first ACP permanent representation in an ACP Member State.

See below for the Address by ACP Secretary General, H.E. Patrick I. Gomes at the Signing Ceremony.